


Path of the Wind

by edensgarden



Series: Starry Night [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon Related, During Canon, F/F, Female Friendship, Friendship, Military Training, Reader-Insert, Scout Regiment, Titan Shifters, Titan Shifting, Titans, Training
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:54:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22957486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edensgarden/pseuds/edensgarden
Summary: During your training sessions to become soldiers of the Wall, Annie chooses you as her sparring partner.
Relationships: Annie Leonhart/Reader
Series: Starry Night [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1644964
Kudos: 73





	Path of the Wind

Struggling to draw breaths from lungs that felt flattened, you looked up to see Annie, her fists raised in front of her. Her piercing blue eyes were cold and judging, her lips pursed in a frown.

“How do you expect to kill Titans if you can’t even handle a human?”

“Annie~ “ You whined, your head stinging from the impact. Pushing your back off the ground, you bent your knees, your elbows going to rest on top of them, “Can’t you go easy on me? I thought we were friends!”

“Titans don’t care about friends.”

You furrowed your brows and stared her down with a pout, her fighting stance unchanging at your defiance.

“You keep talking about Titans, but neither of us plans to join the Scouts anyway, “ You wave your hand nonchalantly, the grunting of the other training students audible in the background, “So what’s the point?”

There’s a moment of silence in which your friend seems to think about a logical response.

“The point is,” Annie inched closer, her blonde hair shimmering beneath the scorching sun, “If you can’t even evade a tiny girl like me, how do you plan on defending yourself against the big guys?” She nodded with her chin towards Reiner who was currently busy throwing the dark-haired boy you had known to be Eren on the ground.

“Ouch,” You winced when you saw him arch his back, his hand reaching to touch the sore spot.

“Up.”

You turned your head back to Annie, dread filling your stomach at the determination in her eyes. She was taking the training really serious compared to you – you were only there because attendance was mandatory.

Fighting had never been one of your strong points. You were much better equipped in the thinking department. The only reason you had signed up to train to become a soldier had been to stay together with Annie.

Ever since that fateful day when she had befriended you in the shades of the giant oak tree, you two had been linked by an invisible string, one never without the other. Annie had become your first friend, your first family, the first constant in your life.

And if training ungodly amounts of hours in the day meant you got to be around her, then you were more than willing to push yourself through the grueling work.

_'Just a few more years. Then we can live a peaceful and quiet live inside Wall Sheena. I wonder if they have sweet raisin bread like in Wall Rose?'_

“Up.” Annie’s voice was thin and laced with impatience. You put on your best puppy face, hoping to get a few more seconds of rest.

“But Annie~”

“______, I won’t say it again.”

Sighing defeatedly, you pushed your weight off the ground, dusting your thighs before taking your stance the way the instructor had taught you to. You inhaled deeply, feeling the blood rush through your veins in anticipation of the oncoming attack.

Several hours later your uniform was clinging to your sweat-drenched body, your hair poking out from all corners and edges of your messy ponytail. You were huffing heavily, your lungs burning from exhaustion and your sides pinching painfully.

“Once again. Stay focused.”

Annie’s voice came in short pants, her bangs sticking to her forehead as she wiped the dirt from her brows. Despite being in as much of a bad shape as you were, she was still fully present with her body and mind. It was awe-inspiring how much stamina she had - that much you had to admit.

_'God, how lucky to be natural at this stuff.'_

“Remember: Use your agility and quick reflexes wisely. You don’t have to be big like Berthold or strong like Reiner. If you know your way around them, even the two of them together wouldn’t stand a chance against you.”

“Mh.” You nod, motivated by her encouragement and push your soles deeper into the earthy ground. You feel your heart flutter nervously, your brain still doubting your body’s abilities. You gulp, focusing on the sounds around you.

You heard Conny laughing incredulously at a grumbling Berthold, who was on the ground below him. Ymir was scolding a whining Christa, who was stuck between her chest and her arm. Sasha was in trouble once again with the instructor for lord knew what reason.

Closing your eyes, you tuned into the aggressive pounding of your heart, breathing slowly to calm it to an even and steady pace. Opening your eyes, you saw Annie still standing in front of you, her eyes fixed on you as she waited patiently for you to make a move.

Releasing a warrior cry, you threw the wooden stick away, dashing at Annie with your entire weight. Your pupils dilated in recognition when she lifted her arms to block your kick and you used this as an opening to instead dive towards her stomach unannounced, your own arms reaching to grasp beneath her armpits.

Annie released a yelp, her arms candle straight as you squeezed your embrace around her upper body, your leg weaving in between hers and curling around her shin. You laughed hysterically, elated that you had her in your grip.

“I got you! Annie, I got you!”

Distracted by your success and forgetting to actually throw her to the ground to render her motionless, you revealed yourself vulnerable for Annie to strike back. Before you knew what had happened, you found yourself on the ground once again, your face covered in the dirt. The back of your head was being pushed into the soil, your nostrils flaring at the earthy scent.

“What the- “ You managed to groan, grunting when you felt a weight plop on your back.

“If I had a weapon now, I could easily pierce through your back and into your heart,” Her nimble fingers traced across the dirty fabric, marking the space between your shoulder blades.

“Annie,” You placed your palms next to your cheeks, failing to push yourself up, your arms losing their strength after all the vigorous training, “Get off me~ “

“Wow… look how ruthless she is.”

“Yeah, you’d think she’d go easy on her best friend.”

“Who? Annie? Pffft, hell no. Have you not seen how she threw Reiner into the ground?”

You snapped your head towards the resident three gossipers of your class, squinting your eyes to glower in their direction. You felt the rage boil in the pits of your stomach but before you had a chance to open your lips for a foul-mouthed retort, you noticed the weight on your back lifting.

You managed to glimpse a peek at Annie, her usual cold demeanor unwavering.

_'No.'_

You had been her friend for far too long to not notice the hurt beneath those azure eyes. Helpless but eager to console your friend, your body reacted before your brain caught up and you twisted yourself around to face her. Using her surprise, you gathered all of the strength you had left in your bones and threw your arms around her, your legs trapping her waist beneath you.

Now it was you who was straddling her, your nimble hands wrapped around her throat. You squeezed once, gazing deep into her wide eyes before you smiled at her shakily, a tiny droplet of sweat dripping from your chin to her chest.

“A single second of distraction could mean an entire life in the midst of a battle.”

You panted, your insides twisting anxiously at the lack of a reaction. Your heart pounded against your ribcage and you counted the seconds that ticked by. Everything around the two of you grew quiet, countless pairs of disbelieving eyes on your form.

_You. You had managed to knock Annie to the ground. You._

You softened the grip around her slim throat, ready to apologize for your sudden attack but Annie beat you to it. Her eyes closed and her brows lifted - you were stunned to see her entire face form a relieved expression. What happened next knocked the breath right out of your lungs.

The cold and apathetic Annie was smiling up at you, the hue of red shading her slim cheeks. You felt the weight dropping off your shoulder, your own lips curling upwards, a high-pitched laugh bubbling out of your chest.

The wind blew through you strongly, dancing between your intertwined bodies and in that moment…

It was just the two of you.

Your best friend and you.

_Annie and you._


End file.
